Ernesto Sobrino

Ernesto Sobrino was a radical liberation theology priest who gave shelter to M-19 fugitives in the Los Altos comuna during the Colombian conflict.

Biography
Ernesto Sobrino was the Catholic priest in charge of the Los Altos comuna, which gave care to the poor and the sick. Sobrino's experience with the poor led to him becoming a communist, although he believed in a Christianized Marxism that was prevalent in Latin America. During the Colombian conflict in the 1980s, Sobrino gave shelter to M-19 fugitives that the Colombian Army was likely to "disappear" (to be killed in a remote area and buried secretly), and he allowed M-19 co-leader Elisa Alvarez to seek refuge at his church. By 1989, Colonel Patrick Wysession and the CIA believed that Sobrino and Alvarez were responsible for the 1985 Palace of Justice siege, and the two were wanted by the government.